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Tour Rundown: Fleetwood breaks through

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A lot will happen in the next hours and days. Ryder Cup rosters will be finalized, followed by the how did he make it and why was he left off debates online and in person. As a high school coach who made cuts last week, I empathized with those who didn’t get the call and congratulated those who did.

Sooooo many events this week to run down, amiright? The PGA Tour completed the 2025 playoffs in Atlanta, while the LPGA crowned a national champion near Toronto. The senior women enjoyed great weather in San Diego for their USA national championship, while PGA Tour Americas and PGA Tour Champions continued their march toward end-of-season glory. Across the mighty Atlantic, the British Masters was contested at The Belfry, a former Ryder Cup venue, while LIV closed out its season in Michigan.

(Wipes brow and breathes a long sigh)

Let’s take a look at the lucky seven events in this week’s Tour Rundown. We won’t see this many events again this year, so enjoy each syllable and stanza.

PGA Tour @ Tour Championship: Fairway Jesus breaks through in states

What hasn’t been written about Tommy Fleetwood? From MoliWood at the 2018 Ryder Cup to loss after excruciating loss on the PGA Tour, Fleetwood has been a constant resident of golf’s headlines. After near misses at the Travelers and the first two legs of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Fleetwood entered the final round of the Tour Championship in a tie with Patrick Cantlay.

The golfer once known as Patty Ice battled on Sunday, but his +1 tally dropped him to 15 under par, tied with Russell Henley for the second spot. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler found himself another shot back in a tie for fourth with Corey Conners and Cameron Young.

It was Fleetwood who steadied the nerves enough to seize control. A 2 under first nine moved him to 18-deep, and pairs of birdies and bogeys coming home gave him a three-shot lead when the cards were signed. After so many near-misses, Fleetwood was finally a champion on U.S. soil. Will he carry the momentum into next month’s Ryder Cup matches at Bethpage Black? Let’s hope so.

USGA @ Senior Women’s Open: We live on Morgan Street this week

This week in San Diego, Becky Morgan (-3) teed up in the penultimate pairing. She eclipsed playing partner Ashli Bunch (+12) by fifteen shots, and the final round duo of Maria McBride (+5) and Corinna Kelepouris (+5) by eight, to win the USGA Senior Women’s Open by six shots. After that performance, she might get a street of her own, in the City in Motion.

On a day when thirteen golfers tallied 80 shots or more, and no golfer broke 70, Morgan was the closest. Her 70 was one shot better than runner-up Juli Inkster. Inkster was able to move into the second spot, one shot ahead of Sweden’s Liselotte Neumann. Both Inkster and Neumann enjoyed multi-win LPGA careers, including wins in the US Open championship. For Morgan, success was much more spartan. She won in 2018 in India, her first title after 18 years of touring. To say that her victory this week was unlikely is sharp but accurate. Cheers to the first Welshwoman to raise the as-yet-unnamed trophy given to the Senior Women’s U.S. champion.

LPGA @ Canadian Open: Brooke brings joy to Canada

Brooke Henderson won her second Canadian Open golf championship by one shot over Minjee Lee. Henderson and Lee played as close a final round as one might imagine. Each made five birdies on the day, but Lee made one more bogey at the Mississauga Club. Henderson sat seven shots behind leader Akie Iwai after round one, but snatched three of those shots back in round two. She took a share of control with a third-round 65, but could not shake Lee.

Both Lee and Henderson made bogey at the fourth, but Lee stumbled again at the 11th, losing a second shot to Queen Par. Her play on the day was stellar enough to eclipse third-place Mao Saigo by three shots, but she could not overcome the home-country energy that Henderson absorbed. Both golfers made three birdies over the closing seven holes, and the entire 72-hole affair came down to one miscue.

DP World Tour @British Masters: Noren wins 11th tour title

If the word “Masters” is in the tournament name, bet Alex Noren. The Swede won his eleventh tour title this week in England, and his first since 2018’s French Open. Of his near-dozen victories, six have come in events with the word “Masters” in the tournament name. Noren won the British Masters first in 2016, by two shots over Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger. This time around, he claimed victory by one shot over Nicolai Hojgaard and Kazuma Kobori.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick entered the final round in the pole position, but never found his groove on Sunday. Fitzpatrick was fortunate to finish as low Fitzpatrick. He posted +2 74, and dropped from first to T6. Younger brother Alex Fitzpatrick signed for 69 on Sunday and crept to within one of his older sibling.

Back with the battle for supremacy, we saw Noren make five birdies in eight holes on the inward half, before a bogey at the last made the outcome appear tenuous. Kobori was on fire in his stretch run, snatching four birdies and an eagle from the final nine, while Hojgaard suffered from the malaise that has prevented him from reaching a new height of success. In the end, that one shot was all that kept two golfers from a playoff with a third.

PGA Tour Amerique @ Manitoba Open: Rain reduces event to 36 holes

A win is a win, they say, and that motto held true this week in the province of Manitoba. Nearly three inches of rain fell on the Breezy Bend Country Club on Wednesday, and the start of the event was postponed for 48 hours. The grounds crew was able to coax some life out of the course by Saturday morning, and the Open was scheduled for 36 holes.

Riley Lewis jumped to a 63 and the lead on Saturday, with nary a bogey on his scorecard. Eight birdies gave but a one-shot advantage over the 64 posted by Joel Thelen. On Sunday, Lewis began with a bogey and was not able to find the same mojo that powered his engines on day one. He held on to a four-way tie for third place, but the battle for top dog was contested by another duo.

Theo Humphrey and Peter Knade came from the peloton to battle down the back nine. Each posted three birdies on the inward half, with Humphrey taking the lead for good at the 17th hole. Humphrey’s final round of 65 was two strokes better than Knade could summon. In the end, he accepted both strokes to avoid a playoff, winning by one slim putt.

PGA Tour Champions @ Ally Challenge: Cink reclaims lead for victory

Stewart Cink opened Ally Challenge week in Michigan with a 62, but returned to the lead on Saturday with a 71. Up stepped Ernie Els, who has had a case of the Fleetwoods this season. After a win in the year’s opening event, Els has been unable to close on multiple occasions. Sunday proved to be a battle between the two stalwarts, as none of the chasers was able to close with three shots of the low number.

So evenly matched were Cink and Els that 54 holes were not enough to decide a victor. Cink came home in 32 shots, to make up two on the tall South African (34) and force a playoff for the trophy. Cink was down the fairway on hole 55, while Els took up residence in the rough, never seeing the short grass. His third reached the putting surface, but his putt for par was off-line. Cink followed the fairway with green, two putts, and his third PGATC title, and second of 2025.

LIV @ Michigan: Legion 13 wins team title

The 2025 LIV concluded on Sunday with the team trophy in Michigan, USA. The quartet of Jon Rahm, Caleb Surratt, Tom McKibbin, and Tyrrell Hatton held off the foursome from Crushers GC to claim victory in extra holes. Each side returned two players to the 18th tee, after regulation produced a deadlock at 20-deep, well ahead of third-place Stingers GC at 12-under par. Hatton and DeChambeau made a birdie on hole 55, to send the pair of duos back for another go. Take two was a blitz, as both Hatton and Rahm made birdie for 13, while neither DeChambeau nor Casey could coax a saved stroke from the par-four hole.

Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Ben

    Aug 25, 2025 at 11:56 am

    I do love that Tommy Fleetwood finally broke through and won on the PGA Tour, but that making him the “FedEx Cup Champ” with the season that Scheffler had shows that the rest of the year outside the 3 playoff weeks mostly irrelevant.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

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GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

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Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

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GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

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Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

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Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.

Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.

PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole

Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.

Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.

Henley’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
  • Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
  • Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
  • Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
  • Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
  • Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
  • Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype

LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!

Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.

Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.

Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.

Celine’s Suitcase

  • Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
  • Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
  • Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
  • Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
  • Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
  • Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
  • Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS

DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!

Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.

Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.

Kaneko’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping Max G440
  • Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
  • Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
  • Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
  • Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7

Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro

Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.

The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.

Alvaro’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
  • Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
  • Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
  • Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
  • Wedges
  • Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C

LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.

Niemann’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping 440 LST
  • Metal: Ping G440 Max at 15 degrees
  • Metal: Ping G425 Max at 21 degrees
  • Hybrid: Ping G430 at 25 degrees
  • Irons: Ping Blueprint S 5 through PW
  • Wedges: Ping S159 at 52, 56, and 60 degrees
  • Putter: Ping PLD Anser

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